The older generation of Saudi diplomats was more passive, while newcomers, such as the defense minister, want to assert Saudi hegemony in the Middle East in a more venous manner as we are seeing in Yemen, Danny Makki of the Syrian Youth Movement, told RT.

RT:Why is Saudi Arabia bombing Yemen, is it an issue of national security?

Danny Makki: Saudi Arabia views the Yemen conflict through a different perspective, one of geopolitical orientation. It sees that it was defeated to an extent in Iraq, in Lebanon and in Syria. So Yemen is an issue for national security. This also reflects a new attitude by the new Saudi government and regime. One which is more aggressive, it’s more potent and it makes bigger decisions on regional matters. But Saudi Arabia is not leading this coalition in a sense that the coalition against ISIS is led by the US. Saudi Arabia has grouped together a number of Arab countries to give it legitimacy, yet it is bombing one of the poorest countries in the Arab world. Yemen is not a military force which is conventional or symmetric or can actually fight Saudi Arabia or defend itself in a legitimate way. Saudi Arabia is attacking a militant group inside of Yemen and not the legitimate Yemeni army. So Saudi Arabia is essentially using its new powers after the new regime came in to attack a country which is essentially defenseless through an Arab microscope with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf Cooperation Council essentially acting as a fundamental backbone to this coalition which Saudi is leading on paper. But in essence this is more of a coalition of Sunni Arab states. And what they’ve perceived is a geopolitical war against an Iranian-backed Houthi movement in Yemen.